Donald Trump has announced the deployment of 5,000 additional US troops to Poland after massive Russian and Belarusian nuclear war games intensified fears of a wider confrontation on NATO’s eastern flank.
The surprise move came only days after the Pentagon reportedly cancelled plans involving thousands of troops bound for the alliance’s eastern frontier, prompting confusion inside Washington and apparent surprise within sections of the US defence establishment.
Mr Trump said the deployment reflected his close relationship with Karol Nawrocki and was designed to reinforce security ties with Warsaw amid rising regional tensions.
“I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 troops to Poland,” the president said in a post on Truth Social.
The deployment is likely to reassure Poland as well as neighbouring NATO members Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, all of which have grown increasingly alarmed by Russian military activity near their borders.
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It remains unclear whether the additional forces will be transferred from Germany, where Mr Trump has long sought to reduce the American military presence.
The Pentagon declined to comment publicly, referring questions to the White House.
Poland, which is forecast to spend a larger share of GDP on defence this year than any other NATO member, welcomed the announcement enthusiastically.
Mr Nawrocki described the Polish-American alliance as a “vital pillar” of European security and thanked Mr Trump for his “friendship toward Poland”.
“The security of Poland and the Poles is my top priority,” he said.
The announcement came amid escalating concern over Russian and Belarusian military activity following days of nuclear-focused exercises overseen personally by Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin launched extensive drills involving strategic and tactical nuclear forces from both Russia and Belarus, including missile launches and long-range bomber flights.
Russia fired a nuclear-capable Yars intercontinental ballistic missile across roughly 3,500 miles from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome to the Kamchatka region, while Tsirkon and Sineva missiles were also launched during the exercises.
Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers and MiG-31 aircraft participated alongside Belarusian forces operating Iskander-M ballistic missile systems.
Mr Putin described the exercises as the first joint nuclear command training operation involving Russian and Belarusian armed forces.
Despite repeated nuclear threats from Russian propagandists since the invasion of Ukraine, Mr Putin insisted nuclear weapons would remain an “extreme, exceptional measure”.
At the same time, Volodymyr Zelensky issued a stark warning to Belarus not to become directly involved in the war.
Kyiv, he said, retained the capability to launch “pre-emptive” action if Belarusian territory were again used to threaten Ukraine.
“Our intelligence agencies know what the threats are and how to respond,” Mr Zelensky said.
Ukraine has repeatedly warned that Russia may attempt to pressure Alexander Lukashenko into playing a more active military role in the conflict.
There is also growing concern among NATO governments that Moscow could attempt future destabilisation efforts targeting the Baltic states, particularly regions with substantial ethnic Russian populations.
Western officials have long feared that Russian military exercises near NATO borders could serve either as intimidation tactics or as cover for future operations.
The latest troop deployment suggests Washington is seeking to demonstrate continued military commitment to Eastern Europe as tensions with Moscow continue escalating.
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